Newsletter

Can a Chiropractor Help Arthritis?

Chiropractors are thought to be the frontline providers of relief from back pain, but they really are healthcare professionals who care for and treat the entire body. It’s true that Chiropractors adjust the spine, but they also use varying degrees of care and techniques to adjust misaligned joints and provide a holistic approach the relief of arthritis.

Arthritis is a condition that will often rear it’s painful head as we age. Millions of people are affected by arthritis. With no sign of a cure in sight, treatments by Chiropractors can help manage the chronic pain associated with this condition.

The main symptoms are chronic joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and can eventually lead to a significant reduction in movement causing disability.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Some forms of arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis can be characterized by periods of activity and remission. During the active phase, the focus is on suppressing the inflammatory process through diet, relaxation, and pharmaceutical help if required. In the remission phase, the focus remains on the maintenance of joint function.

During the remission phase, Chiropractic care can help by:

Helping to improve the range of motion

Improve flexibility and endurance

Increase muscle tone and strength

Provide diet and nutritional advice and supplements to aid in decreasing inflammation

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition that is slightly more stable, but does become progressively worse over time. Most commonly it is the hips, knees, and spine that are affected – and it is your chiropractor that can help with pain management so you can remain functional for as long as possible. Chiropractors come with a great degree of knowledge in strategies and management of osteoarthritis.

With the assistance of your family doctor, a Chiropractor may treat osteoarthritis with:

Chiropractic adjustments

ultrasound therapy

electric muscle stimulation (EMS)

laser therapy

Early Diagnosis is Imperative

Beginning treatment as early as possible is the key to receiving the best outcome, since arthritis just gets progressively worse over time. The treatment you will receive will be preventative, meaning it will be focussed on reducing further damage to your joints and pain. The inflammation related to arthritis conditions can be quite damaging to joints and the soft tissue in your body, so developing a team of health care professionals, a plan, and beginning treatment will directly affect you prognosis.

Ultimately, We Too Wish You Didn’t Have An Arthritis Diagnosis

There are many other forms of arthritis that can be helped by a Chiropractor. An arthritis diagnosis can be scary, the thought of long term chronic pain is something no one wants to have to suffer with. Fortunately the progression of this condition can be stalled with adequate and immediate care – significantly improving your quality of life.

Calf Strain. Can Your Chiropractor Help?

If you have ever torn the fibers in your calf, you know how painful it can be. The older you get, the more susceptible you are to tears and injuries from your weekend workouts and athletic activities.

How Do I Know I’ve Torn a Muscle?

You’ll know if you have heard a “pop” while pushing off that leg during an activity – followed by a sharp pain and some swelling or bruising. This particular calf strain is graded by the amount of torn fibers.

The severity of the sprain will fall into one of three categories:

Grade 1 (mild) – Few muscle fibers have been injured. You may not feel pain until the following day, and would usually be during or after an activity that would instigate a pain response. You’d still have strength and range of motion, and there isn’t usually and swelling or bruising.

Grade 2 (moderate) – A large number of strains fall between a grade 1 and 2. With a grade 2 strain, there are many muscle fibers that have been torn which has lead to a decrease in your range of motion, swelling, pain, and bruising.

Grade 3 (severe) – All of the fibers of the calf muscle are torn, meaning there is noticeable damage. There is likely severe swelling, pain, and bruising. There is limited mobility, and the range of motion is severely limited as a result of the pain.

Immediate Treatment

This should consist of the PRICE protocol, similar to RICE, but the P is for protection, R rest, I ice, C compression, E elevation. This should be followed until the swelling goes down, and while your body heals. Ensure you are resting, drinking water, standing, and NO high heels!

While this takes place while determining a treatment plan that includes the assistance of a chiropractor. This rehabilitation plan will consist of strengthening, stretching, and adjustments to prevent future tears of the calf muscles that could lead to plantar fasciitis, Achilles strains, or hamstring strains.

Rehabilitation is the Key

The importance of proper rehabilitation for your calf strain can’t be emphasized enough, because failure to do so will cause your calf to heal tighter and with more weak points which will lead to further injury. In addition, a massage can be beneficial immediately after the injury (not at the actual sight of the tear though!) to lengthen the entire posterior chain while increasing the circulation.

Begin with non weight bearing stretches once the swelling has decreased, and if your body is tolerating that well for a few days, then you can move onto weight bearing stretches. The severity of the injury, how much time passed before you sought treatment, along with your body’s ability to heal will determine how quickly you will be able to resume your regular activities.

Ask Us

If you are experiencing what you think may be a calf strain, talk to your chiropractor about beginning treatment before it’s too late and you have prolonged the healing process.

Exercise and Chiropractic Care

With the exception of those with heart problems – combining exercise, nutrition and your chiropractic care is the best way to get the results you have been looking for. And without getting carried away, this is not about becoming an athlete – it’s simply about getting your body moving more regularly. Taking care of your body not only requires seeking out healthcare professionals to help you improve, but it requires your commitment to yourself along with your willingness to follow a new routine – which may include exercise.

Exercise

There are years worth of studies and evidence to support the fact that light to moderate exercise is just as important as adjustments, stretching, and nutrition. For example, when treating lower back pain – strengthening the abdominal muscles will support your lower back resulting in a decrease in pain.

The addition of aerobic exercise will help to promote proper digestion while improving circulation. This can be as little as a walk around the block daily, to cycling or running. The resulting toning, fat burning, and weight loss are essential components to pain relief overall.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care will bring pain relief once the spine is aligned properly. You can expect a reduction in pain in your neck, back, hips, joints, along with other parts of your body that could be affected by a misalignment. Improvement in headaches, digestion, energy, and immunity are also an expectation of chiropractic treatment.

When Exercise and Chiropractic Care are Mixed

With both being maintenance routines, they will work well together. Between pain relief and an overall improvement in strength, you will find yourself feeling and looking better. In addition, you will have a decreased risk of developing diseases or additional pain in your joints or back.

The overall sense of well being should be your motivation to continue with your routine, creating lifelong healthier habits.

A Holistic Approach

Working with a Chiropractor is a journey you will have to take alongside other healthcare modalities. The use of adjustments alone to ease pain can bring some relief, but when adjustments are used alongside exercise (and nutrition), you’ll find a difference you wouldn’t otherwise notice without it.

Safe and Effective Care

Chiropractic care can be the safest route to go when you are looking for pain relief that is free of medication and stress. The biggest reason people often don’t make the initial first step is because they are unsure of what to expect. The expertise of your Chiropractor will put your questions at ease, and give you the confidence you need to move forward towards a pain free future.

If you haven’t reached out yet, give us a call and book a visit to get a clear understanding of how they can help you and your individual needs.

I Have Bursitis, Can Chiropractic Help?

Bursitis is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain that we see in patients. Simply put, it’s the inflammation of a fluid filled sac, or bursa – which lies in between the tendon and the skin, or in between the tendon and the bone. When working normally, the bursa protects the joint and helps to make the movements smooth or fluid.

Treatment

The treatments associated with many shoulder ailments is relatively the same. If you have been diagnosed with bursitis, the muscle imbalances that develop because of the compensating due to pain will restrict shoulder mobility.

A combination of mobilization modalities for the soft tissue and spinal adjustments will restore the mobility to the shoulder joints and can correct any subluxations in the spine. In some cases, we will recommend special rehabilitation exercises to ensure your recovery.

They Usually Aren’t Sports Related

Shoulder injuries can happen at any age and aren’t always necessarily sports related. In fact, many of the cases aren’t even shoulder related, but are related to daily poor posture – all of the sitting, slouching, leaning forward, staring down at cell phones, and lack of exercise are huge contributors to developing shoulder pain.

The key here is to find the root cause of the shoulder pain so it can be treated efficiently. There are a series of movement tests we can conduct to see exactly where your body needs help and to address the problem. If the pain is resulting from a problem in the midback and neck, then adjustments, and stability tape can help. The length of the treatment will always depend on the severity of the problem.

If the pain can be traced back to a sports injury or a specific event, treatments specific to the type of injury will depend on how long you’ve gone without treatment and what kind of physical shape you are already in. A combination of light exercise, adjustments, and stability tape will also be the top treatment choices in this case.

Is Your Day Job Causing You Back Pain?

It’s no secret that as a society, we have become more sedentary at many of our jobs. Gone are the days of getting up and moving repeatedly to file items, to retrieve files, to answer phone, and the list goes on.

The introduction of computers has simplified our lives on many levels but has taken a toll on our physicality.

The number of hours a day you sit at a desk typing has a significant toll on your back. It doesn’t matter how ergonomic your chair is, how much you spent on your desk because it’s the “perfect height”, or what kind of stool you have for your feet – if you don’t exercise your back regularly, you will begin to feel the effects of your desk job.

Of the millions of people who spend at least 7-8 hours a day sitting at a desk, most are sitting incorrectly.

But … I Have to Work

I’m not suggesting you don’t work, but I am suggesting you take a really serious look at your routine while you are working; along with the amount of exercise you are willing to fit into your schedule. The more stable and strong your back remains (and ultimately your core), the better every other aspect of your body functions.

Your spine and your surrounding tissue, muscle, ligaments, and nervous system are all pieces of your healthy framework. The healthier your framework, the better your body feels and works.

6 Things You Can Do to Prevent Damage

Do not cross your legs while sitting. Women have been taught to believe that this is the polite way to sit. Men have been taught that crossed legs and a straight back will make you look more confident. The truth is, crossing your legs is a habit that is not conducive to correct posture or great alignment. Your ankles should be in front of your knees, and the backs of your knees should not be resting on your chair.

Keep your shoulders back, and do not allow your abdomen to push out. If you do not have a strong core, this can be difficult. But as long as you are mindful and correcting yourself, sitting properly will help to strengthen those muscles.

This could be a long-shot, but if you can switch your chair for an exercise ball…..this is a great way to remain aware of your posture and strengthen your core while you work.

Get up and move. Every hour, you should at least get up and stretch – or even better, take a walk around and grab a drink of water. And if you can, ideally do some back exercises to get your blood flowing.

Try not to lean forward to get closer to your computer screen. This motion puts added strain on your back and your organs.

Get regular Chiropractic appointments! You will walk away with the tools you need to ensure you aren’t causing further damage to your back or organs while you work.

We Want You to Be Healthy

The bottom line is, you want to be and do your best at work. If your back and shoulders are sore, if you are getting headaches, if you aren’t sleeping well because of aches and pains – then you aren’t going to be able to be as efficient throughout the day.

The goal here is to make the best with what you have, reduce the amount of medications you take, and to keep your body strong and functional. Our goal as your Chiropractor is to give you the tools you need to follow through.

How to Avoid The Winter Blues

Winter has arrived, and for some people this means blankets, hot chocolate, movies, and outdoor winter activities – but for others, the shorter days and lack of exposure to sunlight can leave them feeling down, or even depressed.

Why Does the Winter Affect Some People Negatively?

Those gray days can have a physiological effect on your body’s ability to produce serotonin and melatonin. This can leave you feeling fatigued, unmotivated, and create difficulties with focus.

This interruption in ‘feel good’ receptors in your body can be mild or severe – leaving some feeling low energy, while for others it can be debilitating.

So What Can You Do About it?

Decreasing stress when at all possible is the first step. Stress can cause all kinds of ailments any time of the year, but is particularly difficult to deal with when your mood is low. Stress increases cortisol levels, and will in turn reduce those ‘feel good’ hormones you will need to get through the next few months.

Maintain some level of physical activity. If you already work out, ensuring you maintain or increase your trips to the gym will help you to improve your mood. It’s no secret that physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your mental health.

Get outside. Which I know can be difficult if you aren’t a lover of the cold temperatures. But finding an outdoor activity you can enjoy like skiing or skating, tubing, or visiting outdoor markets will all help you get as much exposure to whatever sunlight you can. Not just that, but being out and social is sometimes all you need to feel good.

Make some adjustments to your diet. It’s so easy to fall into winter indulgences when you feel stuck inside. Not to mention that it can be really hard to get back on track if you have overindulged over the holidays. All of that sugar, processed foods, alcohol, and overeating in general can wreak havoc on your body and your mood. Try sticking with a diet that is rich in real foods, anything processed or deep fried should be avoided. Give your body a break from alcohol and sugary drinks, and fill up on water. If you’re up for it, completing a cleanse with some guidance, may help you reset your digestive system and make you feel lighter.

Take your vitamins. Vitamins and supplements can be really helpful when it comes to improving your overall health, but most people become deficient in vitamin D over the winter months. This is because our bodies make vitamin D with sun exposure, so the lack of exposure causes a drastic decrease in our bodies vitamin D levels.

If you feel a dramatic change in your mood over the winter months, or are having a difficult time with your regular regimen of work, school, relationships etc – then you really should see your medical doctor to ensure there isn’t a bigger problem developing. Many people suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and although all of the tips presented here, it’s important to ensure you are being followed by a medical professional when your mental health is declining.

If you already see a Chiropractor, continue to see them regularly for care. If not, call us – some simple spinal adjustments, exercises, and nutritional support can make a world of difference in how you feel both physically and mentally – not just through the winter months but all year long!

How to Build a Strong Foundation for Your Health

Building a strong health foundation in your life is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Once your health is in check, everything else falls into place. It’s easier to meet deadlines at work, have energy for your family, and to feel good in the mornings.

When you suffer from poor posture, don’t get quality sleep, eat processed foods, and don’t get exercise, everything starts to fall apart. You end up feeling tired all of the time, your digestion is poor, and you end up with body pains. It’s important to build a strong foundation for your health so that you can enjoy your whole life rather than just bits and pieces.

Exercising every day

The first way to start improving your overall wellness is to start moving each day. Daily exercise will help you to normalize your blood pressure, improve your mental health, and improve your muscles and bones. It’ll help you to have more energy and it even helps to slow down the aging process. It’s easy to get moving every day if you just make a point to do it. Whether you like to take a bike ride, jump on the trampoline with your kids, dance while you get ready for work, or take a walk with your spouse, it’s easy to get moving every day.

Vegetables are a main priority

A healthy diet is a great way to boost your health, and vegetables should be the most important thing you are consuming. Greens in your diet will help you to feel better, heal, and prevent future illness. Try a smoothie in the morning with greens like spinach or kale and add your favorite fruits to get a healthy dose of vegetables each day. You’ll love the nutrients you are getting and you’ll be receiving anti-inflammatory properties, a boost to your immune system, and vegetables that fight disease.

Sleep habits

How is your sleep at night? Believe it or not, sleep may the most important thing you do for your health. Since sleep is the time for your body to heal and rejuvenate, you need to get plenty of it. When you aren’t sleeping enough, you end up with a lack of focus at work, higher stress levels, blood sugar imbalances, and a greater chance for obesity. Make sure your room is dark, comfortable, and that electronics are turned off during sleep.

Self-improvement

Are you taking time for yourself to relax, reflect, and do something you love? Make sure you have time for self-improvement in your week. This may mean just 30 minutes a day to read a book, take a bath, get a massage, or work on a favorite hobby. Make sure you are doing things that make you happy so that you are getting the self-care you need to stay healthy.

Prevention

Lastly, there is nothing better once you start improving your health than to work on wellness and prevention. Make sure you are getting regular Chiropractic adjustments. If life is feeling unbalanced, it’s probably time to get a strong foundation for your health.

Can Chiropractic Help Sciatica?

If you suffer from sciatica, you are one of around 3 million sufferers in North America each year with this condition in their spine and legs. The nerve pain actually originates in the spine and travels down the back of the leg, and if irritated will result in difficulty standing and sitting.

While there are a few options for sciatica such as medications and surgery, many are seeking alternative options that are less intrusive. Chiropractic care, for instance, has an extensive library of studies showing it’s effectiveness in reducing sciatica pain.

Understanding the Sciatic nerve

It’s important to first understand more about the sciatic nerve and how it gets impaired. It is actually the longest nerve in the body that is used to provide strength and feeling to the legs. It consists of a bundle of five nerves that begin in the lumbar spine, and then group together in the buttocks and travel down the back of each leg.

Sciatica refers to an issue or impairment with this long nerve resulting in pain or numbness. It often occurs when a disc is herniated, spinal joints become injured and inflamed, or from other issues causing pressure on the nerve.

Symptoms associated with sciatica

If you’ve never experienced sciatica before or think you may have it, there are some common symptoms you can look for such as pain, weakness, and numbness in the low back and into the legs. It’s a misunderstood condition because it’s often not the root cause of the irritation but a set of symptoms.

A herniated disc is the most common cause behind sciatica, but it can also be caused by general wear and tear on the lower spine. Other conditions that can cause your sciatica include spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal), piriformis syndrome (a spasm of the muscle in the buttocks), or spondylolisthesis, a slip of a vertebra that narrows the nerve exit.

Treating sciatica

The question comes in with the treatment of such a problematic condition. You sit and stand every single day making this condition highly problematic. One of the problems is that the risk for sciatic nerve issues increase with age and the risk for herniated discs or bone spurs. Other health conditions can also contribute to the risk factor, such as diabetes, obesity, since excess weight can affect spinal changes, and sitting for long periods of time due to your occupation.

The good news is that you don’t have to take on such an extreme treatment method such as surgery. You can choose a less-intrusive approach, such as chiropractic care and adjustments. Chiropractic care is a great choice for sciatica care because it can be used to adjust the spine to take pressure off of the nerve and make sure everything is in the proper place for optimal function. In fact, many times Chiropractic adjustments provide the same amount of relief that surgery does for sciatica patients.

When it comes to your sciatica, you don’t have to resort to invasive procedures to relieve your pain. Talk to us about your pain level and getting proper adjustments to relieve this condition affecting your daily life.

Why is your Achilles Causing You Pain?

Are you suffering from pain in your Achilles? This could be because you engage in physical activities like sports or physical labor in your line of work that requires repetitive motion in the ankle. Repetitive motions could be endurance activities like running or biking in which you are overusing the Achilles tendon.

Understanding the Achilles

Your Achilles tendon is found in the calf area (lower leg) made up of two muscles called the soleus and the gastrocnemius. It attaches all the way into the heel bone at the part called the calcaneal tubercle. This area has two major bursa sacs called the subcutaneous calcaneal bursa and the retrocalcaneal bursa that fill with fluid when they become inflamed. When you injure this area, the sacs fill with fluid and become an issue, especially if it’s the retrocalcaneal bursa that is affected.

What happens during an injury?

When you do a repetitive action, like running, in the region of the ankle, your Achilles tendon begins to rub against the bone, and can cause actually calcification in part of the tendon, effectively creating a new bone in the area. The new bone can then push the bursa in the area which causes some irritation and swelling while it fills with fluid.

This new bone being created is often called the “pump bump” and can actually start to calcify even if the bursa begins to heal. This means you’ll potentially need surgery to remove the new bone unless you’re able to get other types of therapy to correct the issue.

Additionally, you may end up with pain from the muscle tightening of the Achilles tendon. The pain is actually caused from abnormal loading because there is additional stress being placed on this area from the muscles being too tight.

Treating and avoiding Achilles Tendonitis

Going forward, you’ll want to work on steps to treat your Achilles issues and prevent them going forward. This means that you need to be wearing appropriate shoes during activities like walking and running, as well as correcting health issues like being overweight, diabetes, and gout.

Once the Achilles tendon is injured, it takes a long time to heal, making prevention the most important tool at your disposal. For irritation to the area, make sure you refrain from exercise for a few weeks while you rest and apply 20 minutes of ice at a time.

If you’ve started to feel a minor twinge or stiffness in the tendon connecting your heel and calf, it’s time to get help right away. The pain may dissipate as the tendon stretches but that does not mean it’s healed. It could eventually lead to burning or shooting pain.

If you have flat feet, wear high heels, or forget to stretch before exercise, you could be at risk for this condition. Be sure to start stretching before exercise, wear proper support and see us to check and see if your pelvis is aligned properly.

How Sugar Impacts your Overall Health

Have you ever thought about what sugar is doing to your health? Everyone likes the occasional sweet indulgence, but excess sugar can have an impact on your overall health. In addition to weight gain, you could experience tooth decay, an imbalance in your blood sugar levels, inflammation, and much more.

With North Americans consuming around 22 teaspoons of sugar each day and even more for children, it’s more important than ever to get our sugar intake in check. Take a look at how sugar impacts your health and how to regain control.

The effect of sugar in your bloodstream

It’s important to understand what happens when sugar hits the bloodstream. First it’s going to release insulin which will promote fat storage. This is the hormone that is intended to keep your blood sugar balanced but the increased insulin will hinder hormone growth along with depressing your white blood cells, which both lead to a depressed immune system. You’ll be triggering weight gain, elevating your triglycerides which could lead to cardiovascular disease, and increasing risk of heart disease, some forms of cancer, and diabetes from the triggered inflammation

Health deficits that occur

In addition to putting your body at risk for these health issues, you’ll be depleting yourself of essential vitamins and minerals. It’s also increases the excretion of some of the important vitamins and minerals leading to hormone imbalances.

Too much sugar can lead to a depletion of calcium, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, chromium and phosphorus. You’ll be likely to excrete calcium and magnesium when you urinate which sets you up for a higher chance of osteoporosis. It only takes two teaspoons of sugar to raise your calcium levels and decrease your phosphorus levels leading to an imbalance of all of your other essential minerals.

Understand that sugar is addictive

North Americans consume around their own body weight in sugar each year and part of the reason is that it’s highly addicted. Many generations ago Americans were only consuming around 5lbs per year, but today we regularly consume 12ounce cans of soda, candy at the movie theater, and ice cream on hot summer days. Your soda alone will give you 10 teaspoons of sugar or 1/4th cup and that’s just one beverage in your day, not counting the sugars in desserts, dinner bread, condiments, and your morning juice.

Since sugar wasn’t always so common, our bodies weren’t designed to handle refined sugar well. Sugar was only really obtained through fruits that were also nutritious and seasonal. Today we add sugar to our fruits or include fruits in our sugar desserts. Any type of sugar consumption is likely to cause cravings for more since sugar is so addicting.

The reason sugar is so addictive is that it releases the chemical dopamine in the brain, the reward center of our brains, and our body gets addicted to this reward. When you activate that pleasure chemical, our bodies process it like it would alcohol or nicotine in which you are left craving more once it’s gone. In fact, sugar is likely changing your dopamine receptors where tolerance starts and it’s harder to quit. Think of sugar as way you are self-medicating, like an alcoholic would with alcohol or a smoker would with cigarettes, and notice that if you do try to stop that you’ll experience withdrawal symptoms

While sugar has an impact on your overall health, you can make the decision to quit entirely or majorly decrease it. Get educated on sugar in food and wean yourself off so that you can avoid hormone imbalance, a deficient in vitamins in your boy, and your risk of serious health conditions.

Treating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Chiropractic Care

Do you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and feel like you’ve tried everything to recover from the symptoms associated with it? You may not have realized that your chiropractic care can acutely help with your CTS symptoms.

It’s a common condition with more people getting diagnosed every year and being one of the most common surgeries performed here in North America. Common symptoms of CTS of tingling, burning, and numbness make it difficult to function on a daily basis, and you may even find that it’s a challenge to properly grasp things. While surgery and other treatments are available, chiropractic care may actually be the best non-invasive option. Take a look at what it can do for you.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

If you’re just learning about the condition, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition in which portions of the hand lose or are limited in feeling and movement due to swelling of the carpal tunnel; the narrow passageway in the wrist that allows the median nerve to pass through the tunnel extending from the spine to the hand. This condition can happen in men or women, but it is more likely to occur in women for reasons unknown.

The condition is somewhat difficult to diagnose and it can be a challenge to pinpoint where the issue began. For example, sometimes repetitive motions can cause the condition, such as a construction worker or typing, while in other cases, it could be caused by genetics or from having a smaller carpal tunnel than others.

When diagnosing the condition, the symptoms are often confused with arthritis, disc degeneration in the cervical portion of the spine causing median nerve irritation, or subluxations. It’s easy to misdiagnose with one of these conditions since they show the same symptoms of numbing or tingling.

Traditional treatments and what Chiropractic care can do

Your medical doctor has likely had you scheduled for surgery or offered an invasive treatment option such as steroid injections. Unfortunately, these are the most common treatment options and almost half of the time, surgical treatment isn’t successful. This is likely because many times patients have been misdiagnosed.

When you get alternative, non-invasive treatment such as Chiropractic care, you offer your body a natural solution before attempting anything more invasive. When you suspect you have CTS, you can talk to us about Chiropractic care to correct the problem before have drugs or surgery administered.

As a Chiropractor, we are already familiar with adjusting the body to get things back to normal by gently adjusting areas of concern such as your wrist, elbow, or cervical spine where the median nerve originates. Rather than allowing the pain to continue and damage to occur to your hand or thumb, you can get the Chiropractic adjustments you need to get your body back into working order.

What’s Causing Your Elbow Pain?

Are you experiencing elbow pain but you can’t seem to find the source of the problem?Often referred to as the “funny bone,” your elbow is a very sensitive place with many nerves running through the area. When you bump the ulnar nerve running through the elbow, you end up with that “funny” feeling that goes away shortly later.

When you have pain in the area, it’s sometimes referred to as “tennis elbow” or “golfer’s elbow;” but, what are these different elbow injuries and why does the area get injured easily? Take a look below to better understand your elbow pain and what’s causing it.

Different forms of elbow pain

If you’ve ever experienced elbow pain, you know how frustrating it can be and how helpless you feel in trying to treat it. It also can debilitate you in doing any regular activity, from picking up a glass of water to driving your car. It’s an area that we overuse but we also can’t go without using.

If you work in a profession or have a hobby that involves much gripping or sitting at a desk and typing all day, you are likely to develop elbow problems over time. Left untreated, these issues can get very serious.

Elbow pain can range from the medial area to the lateral area, depending on the injury. Pain at the medial part of the elbow, or the inside part, is referred to as golfer’s elbow, and can happen when there is repeatable or excess stress to the area, especially when you make forceful finger and wrist motions. On the other hand, you have tennis elbow which refers to the outside or lateral epicondylitis, where the muscles of your forearm in which you use to extend the fingers and wrist, are the most affected.

Your elbow pain could also be a result of a simple sprain or strain to the area, a fracture if you’ve broken a bone, or a dislocation. If it’s something that has been developing over time, it could be related to a more chronic type of condition such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, or bursitis.

Why do we injure the elbow easily?

Simply put, we tend to injure the elbow because it’s used so often throughout the day. You can’t pick up your coffee or get dressed for the day without using it. When you become athletic, you begin to use the elbow more frequently and can result in overuse or using incorrectly.

You can sometimes treat the pain symptoms at home if it’s an inflammation from a long day, but in most cases it’s best to see a professional. Even without sports in your life, you may be overusing your elbow at your office desk or gripping something often whether it’s a bar at the gym or your golf clubs.

Treating elbow injuries

While a minor discomfort can be treated at home with rest and an ice pack, untreated elbow injuries are serious. They need to be treated properly from the start because they will get worse if left alone. Regardless of where the injury is, you’ll end up with either weak extensors on the lateral side, or flexors that are too tight on the medial side. Seeing us right away is step one to avoid loss of function or activity level.

You’ll be able to diagnose the root of the problem and start correcting the issue with adjustments and therapeutic stretches. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary but an early diagnosis can prevent you from losing function or the issue exacerbating.

Are you experiencing numbness or shooting pain from in the elbow, arm, or hands? You need to meet with your us right away to figure out what’s causing your elbow pain and to get it treated professionally in order to avoid a more serious injury or a chronic condition from forming.

Create a Stronger Back for Better Healing

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t get through a day without experiencing some lower back pain? This is a common problem in America with millions of people suffering from the same pains. With so many of these people visiting their physician to correct the problem, it’s often discovered that leading a sedentary life is the root cause.

While this is not always the case and sometimes the pain varies from one patient to another, a sedentary lifestyle that incorporated unexpected activity or improper back use will very likely harm the lower back. Instead, you can use these tips to strength the back and heal your back naturally.

Strengthening with core exercises

You can use a few specific exercises to strengthen your lower back. These exercises pinpoint the area and strengthen the muscles so that when you go to use your lower back, it’s already prepared for the movement or pressure it may experience. You can discuss these exercises with your doctor to see if they are right for you before using them.

One exercise that you can try or strengthening the region is a pelvic tilt that you’ll do while lying on your back. First bring your knees pointing up with your feet close to your hips and begin rotating the pelvic and tailbone downward while tightening the muscles in the lower back.

Keep your arms down at your side while you do this and try to rotate your pelvis to the opposite direction while slowly using your legs to life the tailbone and lower back off the ground. Tighten your muscles while your lower back and hips are off the ground and the hold the position for a few seconds before releasing and repeating. You’ll be supported by your legs, arms, and shoulders when these target areas are off the floor.

You can also try the kneeling extension exercise which has you on your hands and knees and lifting your leg straight out for a 10 second hold before repeating. This is a great way to strength the lower back and gluteus muscles so that this region can be more supported.

Lastly, try the half-lifted standing fold in which you’ll stretch the hamstrings while strengthening the lower back. Make sure you’ve allowed your core to be strengthened before trying this one. Stand tall with your knees slightly bent and bend forward so that the body is at a 90 degree angle. You can rest your hands on your thighs but make sure you keep the head lifted and the back muscles tightened. Then release by folding all the way over.

Why is the back so vulnerable to injury?

Anyone that has experienced pain for more than a month of time knows that something is not right in the back. You’re likely to be making a phone call to the doctor or a chiropractor to see if there is a simple treatment that can handle the problem and hoping that it isn’t going to involve prescription drugs or more invasive treatment. It’s so common to end up as one of these back sufferers since in the US, people tend to work at desks for long periods of time during the day and don’t always make a point to move away from the desk or incorporate fitness into their lives.

Being one of the most complicated areas of the body when it comes to the combined structure of your bones, nerves, muscles, and ligaments that are all in the largest part of the body, it makes sense that it’s prone to take a beating harder than other areas may.

This is also due to the fact that your body puts so much of its weight on the lower back causing it to experience the most wear and tear. Even though it may seem that physical activity is most likely to harm the area, it’s actually the sedentary lifestyle in which you keep it in an unhealthy position all day. You could end up with disc regeneration and even obesity if your lower back’s musculoskeletal system is worn down.

If you’re suffering from lower back pain, it’s time to focus on strengthening this area and making some lifestyle changes. Make sure to give this part of the body more love and attention going forward knowing how vital it is to your overall wellbeing.

Which Nutrients are Best for Women?

While all people need to focus on getting the right nutrients in their body, men and women can have some variances in what they need for their specific gender. For example, women need more calcium because they are at a greater risk of ending up with osteoporosis. Men need more protein and calories than women do because men have a larger body and more muscle mass.

Men and women both need folic acid, but women need more of it during childbearing years and require an extra supplement for it. When it comes to men and women, they need most of the same things but each gender may require more of something than the other one. Take a look at the things that women need most when it comes to the right nutrients.

Fiber

For starters, women need to make sure they are getting plenty of fiber. It’s recommended that you get 25g if you’re under 50 and 21g if you are over 50. It helps to keep women regular and lowers the chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, obesity, and even a stroke. This is particularly important during pregnancy. Choose foods high in fiber such as avocados, black beans, berries, chia seeds, and coconut.

Iron

You’ve likely heard it before but women tend to be low in iron. It’s important to make sure you get enough of it because it’s important for health, sustained energy, and avoiding fatigue, infection, and irritable moods.

You can find it in spinach, black beans, grass-fed beef, liver, and even dark chocolate. Iron works to transport oxygen while regulating cell growth, aiding your bone marrow in creating healthy red blood cells so that you don’t become weak. Make sure you get 18mg for 19-50 year olds and 8mg for over 50.

Calcium

Everyone needs calcium because it gives you strong bones, but how much do women need? Make sure you are get 1,200mg if you’re over 50 and 1,000 if you are between 19-50 years. Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis from a lack of calcium because the body will take from your bones to make sure the cells can function well. Choose more kale, raw milk, broccoli, yogurt, and watercress to get the calcium your body needs. It’s also important for your heart’s proper rhythm and nervous system function.

Folate

As mentioned, folate is so important for women, especially in the child-bearing years. You need 400mcg-600mcg during pregnancy and 500mcg when breastfeeding because it’s crucial to the development of cells. Folate reduces the chances of birth defects and lowers the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Make sure you get it before conception and during pregnancy through citrus fruits, avocado, kidney beans, peanuts, and black-eyed peas.

Protein

While men need more protein than women, women still need 10-35% of their daily caloric intake to consist of protein. You’ll need more if you are into weight-lifting because it aids in muscle development, but make sure you get some grass-fed beef, organic chicken, yogurt, wild fish, or black beans in your diet for your daily protein needs.

Since all of your cells have protein, it makes sense that you have to replenish your body with protein.it works to repair and create new cells, and it’s especially important for pregnant women and for children.

If you were wondering what kinds of foods you should be incorporating into your diet, use this guide to make sure you are covering all of the areas that women really need to focus on for prime health.

Is Tech Neck Avoidable in Today’s World?

Did you know, the average American spends more than 9 hours a day staring at some type of screen? It could be a smartphone, TV or computer, but most Americans are spending more than a normal full-time shift at work staring at a screen. Even young children don’t avoid this as they spend at least two hours staring at screens and that number only increased as they get older.

How Screen Staring Impacts Your Spine

As you’re staring down at your phone, tablet or computer, you are putting more weight on the cervical spine. The average human head weighs 12 pounds. Even just a small tilt to send a text message will increase the amount of that weight being supported by your cervical spine. The more you tilt, the worse it gets.

This posture is causing more people to suffer from strain throughout the shoulders and the neck. Many chiropractors are calling this “tech neck” because it’s caused by technology. The hunched over posture may cause knots in the shoulders and neck, but it could also cause disc damage or a pinched nerve.

Can you Prevent Tech Neck?

In a world where phones are attached to most people and computers are vital for most to function at work, is it possible to prevent tech neck? The answer is yes, but it’s not so easy.

The easiest way to prevent tech neck is to spend less time in front of screens. However, this isn’t possible for some, as those working in front of a computer all day will not be able to reduce their screen time much.

You can start by replacing your laptop at meetings with a notebook. This is a pretty easy change and some of the easiest changes can be found in your home. Instead of scrolling through social media while watching TV or spending time with your family, become more present at the moment and put the phone away.

You can also limit your time in front of the TV and computer at home. Choose an amount of time you will spend with your devices every day at home, set a timer and when that time is gone, put them away for good. Read a book, play a game, go outside or do anything that gets you away from screens.

You only get 24 hours per day. If you spend more than 9 hours in front of a screen and another 8 hours sleeping, you only have 7 hours left. About half that time is likely spent getting ready for work, eating meals or preparing meals. That doesn’t leave much left.

Chiropractic Treatments for Tech Neck

While the best solution is to avoid screens or limit your time in front of them, you can also seek out chiropractic treatment for tech neck. With the right treatment, you can find relief and get back your good posture.

Common Chiropractic Myths & What’s Really True

Have you ever heard things about Chiropractors that made you think twice about seeing one? There are some myths out there that cause caution to people that considered visiting a chiropractor that now are missing out on the health benefits. Some people think chiropractors just simply aren’t real doctors and that chiropractic care is dangerous. Others think that they can it themselves or that the treatment wouldn’t do any good for their health problems. Here’s a closer look at the common chiropractor myths and then a fact check to make sure you know why these things simply aren’t true.

It’s too expensive to see a chiropractor

One of the common myths of Chiropractors is that people think a chiropractic visit to too expensive and not affordable unless you’re an athlete. They think that it’s not care available to just anyone even though most insurance plans actually cover chiropractic in their coverage. In reality, chiropractors are meant to be for everyone because they offer so many health benefits that everyone needs, not just athletes.

You can’t stop going once you start

Another myth is that once you start getting care you can’t ever stop going. In truth, chiropractic care is an individualized treatment plan and everyone will need different levels of care. Depending on your health and care needs, you may need weekly treatment or temporary treatment until something is corrected.

Chiropractic care is typically used for pain relief, correcting an abnormality, or for wellness and general maintenance. It’s great to go regularly to prevent injury and keep your health in check, but if you are visiting after a car accident or from an issue like scoliosis, you may only need to go until that issue is resolved with minor follow-up in the future. In most cases, people go back because of the health benefits and the results they get, not because they have to.

It’s unnecessary

Other people think that it’s not necessary to seek chiropractic care because they can crack their own back or that a chiropractor is never going to fix their body’s issues. Chiropractic care puts on a force applied specifically to get results safely and is not something you should try to do yourself. In addition, chiropractors work on more than just back pain; they can also help with spine misalignment and nervous system function, the areas that affect the body the most.

They aren’t real doctors

If you don’t trust chiropractors because you don’t think they are real doctors, take a look at the educational requirements involved in becoming one. Chiropractors actually require around 400 hours more of classroom work than regular physicians, taking a closer look at things like anatomy, nutrition, and physiology.

It’s actually dangerous

Lastly, if you fear going to the chiropractor because you think the adjustments are dangerous, realize that chiropractic care is actually the safer therapy option compared to a prescription or surgery. It’s a gentle therapy that requires no drugs or intrusive treatments, but rather uses adjustments and exercise to relieve pain and optimize body function. There is a much higher risk to anti-inflammatory drugs and prescription medicines.

You’ve probably heard these myths or worried about them yourself. Don’t allow these common chiropractic myths worry you from seeking the health benefits of chiropractic treatment. These are the truths behind these common myths.

Top 4 Stretches for Back Pain Between Chiropractic Visits

When you go to the chiropractor for an adjustment, you’ll often be instructed to do some stretches or exercises related to the issue you went in for in-between visits. Whether you have an injury you are trying to heal or your spine becomes misaligned from daily activity, it’s important to see the chiropractor for adjustments and a closer look at how your body is functioning.

Since everything in the body is connected, having one thing off will affect everything else. Take a look at these four stretches you can do for back pain between chiropractic visits to help heal and relieve discomfort until your next appointment.

Lying knee to chest with twist

One easy way to stretch the body for back pain relief is to lay with your knee to your chest. Start by lying on your back and bring one leg from a straight out position towards your chest while the other remains straight out. Hold it there and then slowly bring the knee over your body to the other side where you’ll rest it on the floor. This can be extra effective if you form a T shape with your arms straight out.

This is great for working the chest, shoulders, piriformis muscles, and paraspinal muscles. Your abs will also benefit from the twisting because it awakens the digestive process and strengthens your core.

Hamstring stretch

Try the hamstring stretch if you want to benefit the hamstrings, lower back, and upper back. You can do this standing or sitting depending how flexible you are.Simply stretch your legs to a straight position with a slight bend to protect your knees and tendons. Bend over the legs keeping the back straight reaching towards the toes without harming the back’s strength in order to do so.

Make this extra effective by doing it in a standing position so that the blood flow to the head can improve circulation.

Child’s pose

You may have seen this pose done in yoga. The child’s pose or resting pose is a great one for simple stress relief and relaxation. It’ll be conducive to your entire back, your hips, and your shoulders.

Get on the floor for this one with a yoga mat and start with your knees on the floor either together or spread apart underneath you. Fold over the legs and stretch your arms in front of you. You’ll want to reach your hands forward as your tailbone is stretching backwards to open the hips and lengthen the spine.

Piriformis seated stretch

Lastly, do the Piriformis seated stretch to help with your pirifromis muscle, lower back, and thighs. It’s a great way to improve your posture too. You’ll simple start with a seated position and cross your leg over the other while the lower one continues to lie down. Keep the lower one tucked under the opposite hip while your top leg keeps your knee pointed upwards and the foot placed next to the thigh. Your arm will go around the top leg pulling inward to stretch your top leg, all while sitting straight up.

You can maintain your adjustments and seek pain relief for your back between appointments by using these four stretches regularly.

Getting your Body Ready for Flu Season

One of the reasons everybody dreads the winter season is that it typically means that flu season is upon us. You might be seeing ads suggesting you to get your flu shot and that is because we are at the right time of year where the flu is on everyone’s mind. It can ruin holidays, keep you from work, and cause you to be homebound missing important events or obligations.

The good news is that you can get your body ready for flu season now in order to increase your chances of avoiding the flu this season. By prepping your boy, your immune system will have a fighting chance to avoid the flu. Check out these tricks for getting yourself ready for flu season.

Increase your fluids

Treat your body as if it’s already sick in order to start giving it what it would need if it were sick. That means it’s time to drink plenty of fluids and make this a priority once and for all. It’s a tough time to remember to drink your fluids when the weather is chilly rather than a constant remind in the hot summer sun, but it’s all the more important. The winter is a time of dry air and people tend to forget to hydrate.

Your body’s immune system and mucous membranes will thank you when you remember to hydrate, especially to optimize your mouth, nose, and ears’ mucous membranes. Throw in herbal teas and avoid fruit juices when you need a break from water.

Watch the sugar

Speaking of avoiding sugary drinks, you’ll also want to avoid simple sugars like white flour. Sweets are so common during the winter months and it’s easy for them to suppress your immune system which increases your chances of catching the flu.

Increase certain spices

By adding some spices and veggies into your week, you can help your immune system too. Choose herbs like oregano and turmeric for their antimicrobial properties, as well as ginger, onion, and garlic to add to your dishes, soups, and sauces.

Exercise

Just like any time of year, exercise is a great way to keep your body strong, but it’s extra important if you want to boost your immune system. The physical movement will increase your blood’s circulation and oxygen, as well as eliminate metabolic wastes. Just add 30 minutes of exercise a day and you’ll help your body prep for flu season.

Prep the home

Lastly, find ways to fight off the cold around your house. Start washing your hands more and doing a daily nasal saline flush to keep your mucous membranes moist. Watch the heat in your home since that could dry out those mucous membranes. Keep your fridge stocked with vegetables high in vitamins A and C, and prep some delicious soups and dishes that you can reheat when you want to boost your immune system.

You can get your body ready for flu season and significantly increase your chances of avoiding catching the flu, even without a flu shot. Be sure to talk to us about getting regular adjustments this season as it will help your body perform at its optimal capacity, keeping your immune system and all functions in check.

Protecting your child’s back from this year’s backpack

It’s that time of year again and back-to-school prep is all of the conversation. That means your child will be gearing up from a summer of fun to carrying a heavy book bag to school with all of their textbooks, notebooks, homeowner, and the extras.

This also leads many chiropractors to seeing parents of children with back problems because of overstuffed backpacks and pain from it. While it’s an exciting time of year for new subjects, new teachers, football games, and the kids getting older, it’s also that time of year when backpacks are heavy and kid’s backs are in danger. Take a look at how you can protect your child’s back from this year’s backpack.

How backpacks harm a child’s health

While you may be worried about packing a healthy lunch and keeping grades up, you should really be taking the time to focus on your child’s back health from lugging around new textbooks and even laptops. Backpacks are notoriously worn incorrectly and can damage children’s’ spines.

In fact, almost 80 million kids will end up suffering from pain from wearing their backpack incorrectly this year. This affects the spine, shoulders, posture, and more. Many kids like to wear the backpack on one shoulder or they overstuff the bag, making it not only a chore to carry, but damaging to vertebrae of the spine.

What often happens is that children, regardless of what parents intend, will wear their backpacks incorrectly because they are in a hurry, overwhelmed, or unaware of the damage the pack can cause. They could trigger subluxations or cause postural imbalances. Causing a misalignment to the spine’s vertebrae will actually put pressure on the nervous system and prevent communication within the body from the irritated nerves. Other symptoms occur when this happens and you may not realize the pain is all traced back to the backpack.

How you can prevent injury

There are really simple ways to avoid backpack injury but knowing is half the battle. It’s important to choose the right backpack to begin with, and then follow a few simple steps from there. You need to make sure you don’t select something too big for your child, nor should it be too small. A backpack must have two straps and it shouldn’t hang over four inches below your child’s waistline.

That way, you can ensure that your child is wearing the backpack properly and that it won’t overwhelm your child’s back. These days, you’ll see more and more children with a backpack on wheels, which is the ultimate best choice in backpacks, but you’ll want to check to see if it’s allowed with the school first.

Once you’ve selected the right backpack, it’s time to talk to your child about how to wear it properly. First and foremost, make sure your child wears both straps and doesn’t try to wear it on only one shoulder. Next, make sure he or she is wearing it at the proper tightness, because wearing it too loose or too tight can be damaging to the back. Often children will try to wear it loose on only one shoulder and it’s one of the main reasons that back pain begins from a backpack. Encourage your student to swap out their books between classes to avoid carrying too much and be sure to adjust the backpack as your child grows. In addition, you’ll want to make sure that you’re packing it properly, with the weight not to exceed 15% of your child’s body weight, and putting the back on by lifting the legs rather than the back.

Even if you follow backpack procedures perfectly, it’s important to have your child adjusted with the chiropractor on a regular basis. This allows his or her back to have a reduction in subluxations and pressure, and a chance to restore the communication throughout the body.

Be sure to follow backpack procedures this school year and to keep your children’s wellness as a top priority going into this new season of life.

How Chiropractic Can Eliminate Headaches

Including a Chiropractor in your Healthcare Provider line up isn’t just about back pain. And believe it or not, your headaches could be treated without the use of medication.

Pain Relievers are not Always Necessary

Sounds a little different than what we’ve been leading to believe right? Drink more water, eliminate certain foods, get more sleep – these are all important aspects as well. The part that comes next though, where you’re advised to take a pain reliever – that’s not entirely necessary.

Millions of people worldwide are affected by headaches, many of which are debilitating enough that people will miss school and work. They will miss their children’s sports games, miss anniversaries, and miss important milestone’s – which is why I believe so many will jump at the first chance they get to take over the counter or prescription headache medication.

Pills Don’t Have to be Your First Line of Defense

This doesn’t have to be your first line of defense when investigating headache or migraine relief. Whether your headaches are caused by tension or stress, hormones, environmental factors, or as a result of a physical issue or trauma – your Chiropractor can make a few simple adjustments and viola, reduced or even eliminate headaches.

How Do We Do It?

We have established that there are countless triggers for headaches. But how can a Chiropractor help eliminate them all?

Booking a visit with your Chiropractor is not just about the adjustments and instant relief. We look at every problem holistically, and will help you to identify environmental, physical, and emotional triggers. Once these are identified and changes are made, we get to work on the physiology of it all. There are nerves in your body that when interfered with, can be the root cause – or the final answer to all of your headache woe’s. A simple subluxation in the cervical spine can hinder the blood flow to your brain, which can either cause headaches or leave you more susceptible to headaches.

Subluxation of the spine can be caused by stress, the environment (toxins), or trauma. Consulting with your healthcare team and devising a plan of action to cancel out all possible causes will be the answer to a reduction in headache pain relievers.

Similarly, the tissue and bony structures surrounding your neck and the base of your head can be sensitive to irritation and can become dysfunctional. This is a common cause of head and neck pain and can be relieved with gentle, precise Chiropractic adjustments, and exercises to help correct your posture.

Living Headache Free is Possible

Imagine, you can be free of chronic headaches. You won’t have to worry about traveling with medications, losing sleep, or missing important life events. This reduction in stress alone will be a large piece of your health puzzle.

Taking care of your spine, nervous system, and muscle health is what we help you do. Our holistic approach to healing drug-free – is what will make all the difference in the world when it comes to how you feel every day. When you make a choice to include Chiropractic care into your health care regimen, you are making the decision to take your health back into your own hands.

5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Back

The most effective combination of tools to strengthen your back are cardiovascular and strength training exercises, in combination with chiropractic care. However, if you have a history of heart problems, this should be noted by your health team and special instruction should be followed when exercising.

However, if this is not the case, a reasonable amount of exercise that you enjoy is your best first step in strengthening your back.

Why is Back Strength so Important?

Your back and your core are the structures that hold your body in proper alignment so that it can function properly, and function well – like the support beams in your house. If there is a flaw in this support, the rest of the structure suffers.

Maintaining a strong back and core will allow your bones, muscles, nervous system and cardiovascular system to do what they need to do uninterrupted.

The importance of a strong foundation doesn’t necessarily mean you have to suddenly become an athlete (your choice entirely) but there are exercises that will gently increase your strength without over-exertion.

Go for a walk. It doesn’t need to be a marathon – but it should be more than a leisurely stroll. Walking 3-7 days a week with good posture will strengthen your muscles, your cardiovascular system, and will promote proper digestion.

Planks. This simple but effective exercise is great for your back and your core. Depending on your level of strength, you can do them anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. This particular exercise alone is great for your overall posture when done correctly.

Lunges. These are great for your lower back, giving it a strength-based workout, along with stretching your muscles.

Bridge stretch. These are low impact and great for your abdominal muscles and your glutes. The great thing about this movement is that you can go as slowly as you need to (which is the most effective way of doing this movement anyway).

Reverse shoulder shrugs. This is perfect for your upper back and neck and will help to release tension while opening up your chest. This exercise can be done right at your desk.

Please remember that while exercising it is important to wear comfortable and breathable clothing, shoes that will support your level of activity, and do not bounce while stretching. This can actually tear your muscle fibers and cause your muscles to need time to heal – which is counteractive to what you are trying to achieve.

Ask Us – We Will Tailor Exercises to Your Specific Needs

These are just a few of several exercises your chiropractor may suggest, all of which are supporting your back and core. Without balanced muscle tone obtained through exercise, your posture will suffer and can result in muscle aches, joint related problems, headaches, digestive issues, and cardiovascular dysfunction.

We will show you the best exercises to help align your body’s joints, so you reduce the likelihood of experiencing pain and discomfort. Joint manipulation is only one aspect of your chiropractic care, and adjustments are best performed when they are done alongside other therapies, including exercise.

This Part is All on You

This important component to your recovery is in your hands and will hopefully increase your confidence in your ability to help heal your own body. Working in conjunction with your chiropractor will help you to meet your goals.

Better than any drug, exercise will improve your mobility and reduce pain. But please be patient with yourself, sometimes it can take months of regular repetitive motions for your body to adjust and feel better, but the long-term results of a stronger back and core will be worth it.

How can Chiropractic Care Help with Sleep Issues?

Do you struggle with poor sleep? Whether you struggle to fall asleep, you wake up often, or you just can’t seem to get any sleep, any time of sleep dysfunction or insomnia can be detrimental to your health and daily life. That’s why many are seeking help from their Chiropractors after learning that chiropractic care can help with sleep issues. Take a look a closer look at different sleep issues, how chiropractic care can help, and how to set your night of sleep up for success.

Sleep disorders

It turns out at least half of North Americans and even more suffer from a sleep disorder but most don’t seek medical attention for their sleep problems. In addition, physicians often don’t ask patients about their sleep patterns, causing this to often go unchecked. The problem is that people need between 7 and 9 hours of deep, restorative sleep each night and often people get much less or even too much sleep.

Without proper sleep, your body can’t heal itself and rejuvenate for a new day, bringing you the proper energy you need to function. Inadequate sleep leads to things like mood disorders, weight gain, heart disease, and a shortened life expectancy.

If you go without proper sleep for a long time, you could end up with increased inflammation, a higher risk for cancer and diabetes, and impaired blood sugar balance. Since poor sleep inhibits leptin, your body struggles to feel full and you’ll be more prone to oversleep. You need sleep for hormone balance, waste removal, and rejuvenation.

Making better health decisions

In order to avoid or correct these sleep disorders, you need to start getting your health in check. Start by working on your nervous system since the brain and nervous system control the rest of the body. You can balance the autonomic nervous system, the area that includes all of the nerve roots connecting to your vital organs, by eating well, proper posture, deep breathing, exercise, and reducing stress. This will allow for sleep hormones to balance and for better function of the systems the nervous system controls including your heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure.

When you don’t keep things in balance in this area, you’ll end up with a misaligned spine and posture, difficulty resting, and issues with the body’s communication system needed to heal you. Fortunately chiropractic care can resolve this because your chiropractor can remove the interference you’re experiencing in your autonomic nervous system leading to balance sleep hormones. If you’re struggling with sleep issues, see your chiropractic for a spinal adjustment and to discuss your lifestyle habits that could be contributing to the problem.

Proper sleep scenario

In addition to a spinal adjustment, your Chiropractor will discuss with you how to optimize your bedtime routine to make sure you are allowing for the best sleep. For example, you’ll want to keep a routine so that you r body can get used to going to sleep and waking up at the same every day of the week. You’ll want to reduce caffeine early in the day to ensure you can fall asleep at night. You’ll also need to look at how comfortable your bed is and if you are keeping the room warm enough at night to be comfortable, somewhere between 60 and 69 degrees.

Next, you’ll want to make better choices during the day such as getting plenty of exercise and sunlight during the day, while taking a bath with Epsom salt at night before bed and quitting any screen time an hour before bed ensuring that the room is in total darkness during sleep. Keep pets out of the room if they bother you during sleep and turn off anything electrical to avoid their electromagnetic fields from disrupting your pineal gland during sleep. Make sure your nighttime routine is stress-free.

Fortunately Chiropractic care can resolve your sleep issues but it’s important to form better habits each day that will contribute to a better night’s sleep.

Chiropractic Care helps a 3 year old boy with Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Disorders that involve a delay in development of social and communication skills are typically grouped together into a category named Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Symptoms that arise from PDD can be evident during infancy and are most commonly identified before a child turns 3 years old.

Difficulty using and understanding language, trouble relating to others, avoid changing their routine or going to unfamiliar environments as well as repetitive purposeless body movements are some of the various symptoms that are frequently cited in individuals with PDD. The condition of PDD is included within the autism spectrum. A cure for PDD has yet to be determined although, there are many other methods that are currently being used to decrease the symptoms or the severity of the present symptoms. Several current treatment methods are medications as well as occupational and physical therapy.

The individual in this case study is a 3 year old male with PDD and Sensory Processing Disorder. The mother of the child sought help from a chiropractic office in attempt to manage the symptoms her son had been dealing with. The young boy was developmentally delayed by 25% or greater in fine motor skills, communication, cognition, social and emotional skills. He would choose to crawl instead of walk. However, the child was unable to cross crawl which is an important skill for kids to master as it develops proprioception, coordination of limbs, muscle balance and strength. Occupational therapists and physical therapists noted that this child had low muscle tone and possibly lacked adequate sensory perception.

The child began Chiropractic care twice a week for the first four weeks and then progress to once a week for the following 4 weeks. At each visit the Chiropractor would examine the child for any vertebral subluxations. Following care and upon the first re-evaluation the patient had improved in several objective tests as well as increases in subjective measures expressed by the mother and therapists. The mother had been extremely thankful as her son has shown improvements in his communication and language skills, to add, he began to walk and even run on his own. The current occupational and physical therapists of the patient were surprised at the benefits displayed from chiropractic care as they stated that they had never observed such impressive improvements in a very short time frame.

The child continued Chiropractic care for the following 10 months since improvements in development were continually being seen. Improvements seen included boosts in his language skills, processing of sensory information and increase in muscular strength. The previous issues of swaying and rocking as well as low muscle tone had been reduced.

Top 5 Natural Remedies for Incredible Headache Relief

Have you ever been curious to find out some tried and true tricks to get rid of those nasty headaches you get? Taking over-the-counter medicines and getting chronic headache prescriptions from the doctor just isn’t the healthy way to go.

There is always a reason behind things like this and finding out the source can help you get rid of the pain for good. If you want to try natural remedies, you may just find one of these does the trick and explains why you were having the pain in the first place. Take a look at the top five natural remedies for incredible headache relief.

Essential oils and magnesium

One simple way to start headache relief is throw out those over-the-counter medicines and put something else in your medicine cabinet instead. Essential oils and magnesium are both great options for incredible headache relief. Specifically, peppermint oil and lavender oil are great treatment options for your headache pain. Peppermint oil stimulates the blood flow in your forehead which relaxes headache pain. Lavender oil is great for stabilizing the mood and relaxing which makes it perfect for the headache sufferer that needs a sedative effect like this.

Be sure to add magnesium to your collection because this one is one of the best for relieving pain from headaches. Rather than harmful NSAIDs and aspirin, try magnesium to treat your migraines and cluster headaches. You can take it orally and intravenously, but you can also find it foods like beans, broccoli, nuts, whole grains, and seeds, and even in things like chocolate and your morning coffee.

It works well because it blocks the chemicals in your brain that transmit pain and improves your body’s reaction to injuries. Low magnesium levels in the body can actually lead to blood vessel problems, high blood pressure, and heart disease, so it’s important that you are getting this anyway.

Chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture

A great way to reduce your headaches is to be seen by your chiropractor for an adjustment to determine the source of your pain. Your adjustments will work to repair damaged DNA by acting as an antioxidant, while also reducing stress and improving overall organ function. The spinal manipulation by your chiropractor will definitely relieve your headaches.

Another treatment method that works well is acupuncture which stimulates points on the body to seek a balance to its energy. It’s been used to treat all kinds of diseases and conditions since it’s proven to relieve chronic pain and disease.

More water and rest

Sometimes headaches are a result of a lack of water. Many times a headache is a sign that you are dehydrated, not getting enough rest, or not getting proper nutrients. By making a point to hydrate better and get plenty of rest, you can find out if that was the simple cause to your headaches or if there is more to the story. Begin to make an effort to practice good posture, stay hydrated and avoid alcohol which dehydrates you, and get plenty of sleep. You also may be straining your eyes at work and they need a rest, or you could be suffering from constipation from a lack of hydration. Sometimes allergies cause headaches from a lack of proper diet and rest.

Knock out the coffee, alcohol, and sugary drink habit and replace it with water. Eat more hydrating fruits and vegetables, start getting better sleep in a very dark bedroom, and give your body rests from sitting at work or staring at a screen too long.

Diet changes

Diet changes can address the nutritional deficiencies. In addition to more fruit and vegetables and more magnesium-friendly foods, and skipping the beverages that dehydrate you, be sure to get more B vitamins into your week to address one cause of your headaches, reduce or get rid of gluten completely in case of a sensitivity, and bring in butterbur and feverfew herbs into your diet. These herbs are great for reducing migraines, while a gluten sensitivity or a B vitamin deficit could both be contributors to your headaches.

Movement

Lastly, make sure you are getting enough movement. Sometimes forgetting to stretch, forgetting to take breaks, and sitting too long causes headache pain due to the built-up tension in the neck and back.

Use these great methods for relieving headaches in your life and feel confident that these natural remedies will find the source of the problem rather than masking the pain with pain killers. .

Can you Really Keep Sugar Cravings at Bay?

It may seem impossible to keep your sugar cravings under control, but it turns out there are methods to control that sweet tooth. You’ll often see sugar cravings in women over men, in those with a health issue that’s increasing the cravings, or those that don’t have enough sleep or energy. It’s also so easy to access with our grocery store shelves being stocked with easy-to-grab sweet treats that are much quicker than preparing a healthy snack. If you want to keep the sugar cravings at bay, take a look at the “why” behind cravings and methods to control this going forward.

Who craves sugar the most?

It’s believed that it’s more common for women to crave sweets more so than men but it’s actually been studied and found that this does happen because women experience the hormone estradiol. While you can’t avoid nature and the fact that women are likely to have sugar cravings during their period or menopause from this hormone related to reproductive function, understanding this ahead of time will help you to better prepare for these cravings.

In addition to women experiencing that time of the month or the time around menopause, you’ll also find sugar cravings in unhealthy people that are experiencing underactive thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, yeast infections, and having the gut bacteria imbalanced. If you’ve been sluggish or stressed, you’ll similarly be more likely to want more sweets. The good news is that a healthy diet can combat most of these issues and get your body functioning normal again.

Methods for controlling cravings

There are a few tried and true methods for controlling your sugar cravings. The first is to avoid processed foods all together in order to get the sugar out of your life and start teaching your body to stop craving them. When you do eat processed foods, your brain learns that you are getting a food reward and it’s going to want more. When you give it sugar, it’s going to crave more just like it would with a drug or alcohol addiction. Since processed foods are full of sugar, it’s best to cut them out complete while you retrain your body.

Another method is to increase your fermented foods and probiotics in your diet. When you add more probiotics and fermented foods, you’ll be able to reduce the sugar cravings. Foods like pickles, miso soup, sauerkraut, live cultured yogurt, and Kefir are great sources of these fermented foods that will help to restore your body’s healthy gut bacteria. Having bad gut bacteria will influence your cravings with the nerves between your brain and stomach. Choose fermented foods, liquids, or probiotics in your diet or through supplements to control the sugar cravings.

Lastly, try a visualization exercise in which you pretend that the thing you are craving has had salt poured all over it. Since people tend to dislike overly salted items, pretending that slice of pie has had salt poured all over it will turn off your cravings. This trick is called the salty sweet visualization exercise.

When you feel like your sugar cravings are out of control, using these methods to regain control is essential. Keeping your blood sugar stable, your gut bacteria balanced, and your diet in check will be the biggest tools at your disposal for keeping sugar cravings at bay. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, exercising, and avoiding processed foods in order to avoid sugar cravings from sluggishness or because your brain is craving more reward-foods.

Chiropractic Care, the Solution for a Young Child Dealing with Vertigo, Migraines and Neck Pain

The condition of focus in this case study is vertigo, which has been most simply described as the feeling that the room or one’s surroundings are spinning. The symptoms of vertigo range from bearable short term dizziness to intense dizziness causing nausea and a failure to stand or walk. This condition arises from diseases that cause demyelination, tumors located on the brain stem and cerebellum, hemorrhage in the brain stem as well as vascular diseases of the brainstem.

The individual in the case study was a 12 year old boy who had been dealing with repeated episodes of vertigo, headaches and neck pain. His vertigo first begun when he was 3 years old and since that point in time, his vertigo has continued to grow in intensity. The patient would experience clusters which are 5-20 seconds of severe dizziness, recurring every 15-30 minutes with this cycle lasting for several hours. He was unable to attend school due to the severity of his vertigo.

The patient was received 3 adjustments each week for the first month. After the first month, the schedule was set to shift to 2 visits each week for the next 7 weeks and continue to decrease the frequency of visits as he progressed. The patient reported no headaches or neck pain after just the first week of receiving chiropractic care. 4 weeks after care began, the patient did not experience vertigo. This was the first time he had not experienced vertigo in 9 years!

The patient continued chiropractic care for 2 years and during that time frame he only experienced 2 acute episodes of vertigo. This was remarkable progress for the child because he was now able to attend school consistently as a result of now being free from headaches, neck pain and vertigo episodes. The patient was also able to engage in sports, training and games once again. This case study along with various other similar incidents supports the use of chiropractic care in order to help individuals who deal with vertigo and headaches.

Chiropractic Care Positively Impacts a Patient with Cystic Fibrosis

The prevalence of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is 1 in every 3500 infants. This disorder results in a decreased life span, persistent infections and overwhelming medical costs. The lungs become targeted as large amounts of mucus forms and can block airways causing acute inflammation and chronic respiratory infections. Current treatment for CF involves a variety of approaches to be effective.

The patient in this case study was a young male with CF who sought the goal of improving his quality of life. This was mainly due to the repeated infections, inability to participate in sports and lack of sleep he experienced which stemmed from his CF. The 8 year old boy was diagnosed with CF immediately after birth and frequently found himself hospitalized multiple times each year because of the infections. Lack of range of motion of cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions were identified upon the initial visit with the chiropractor. Surface EMG displayed hypertonic musculature at the regions of the mid-cervical, mid-thoracic as well as the upper lumbar.

The patient was scheduled to receive adjustments three times each week to correct these issues. The first reassessment was done after the 9th visit and the patient noted that his breathing function, as well as the duration and quality of sleep all improved. As the young boy continued chiropractic care considerable positive impacts were seen in his lifestyle a year and a half later. The thermal scan displayed dramatic decreases in the muscle imbalances of the cervical and upper thoracic regions.

The patient found himself participating in physical activity more frequently as he was on the verge of attaining a black belt in karate. To add, he had not visited the hospital for 8 months, absences from school had decreased as well as experienced growth in height and weight. Various adjustments were used to target specific areas and improve the function of the immune system. This case study displays the power of chiropractic care in improving the quality of life for individuals with CF.

Fighting Your Allergies with Diet

Do you suffer from allergies? You’ve likely tried all of the medicine under the sun and maybe even avoided leaving the house on the days when allergies have got you feeling under the weather. What you may not have known is that sometimes your diet can actually improve your allergy situation.

Eating certain foods actually can work as an all-natural treatment for allergy symptoms, just like seeing your chiropractor can help fight ailments that you would normally get a prescription for. Take a look at a few foods you may want to try next time you suffer from allergies and want to skip the prescription drugs.

Fish with omega-3’s

You may think to avoid fatty foods, but fatty foods aren’t the problem. In fact, fatty fish is actually great for your body and for fighting allergies. Make sure to incorporate fatty fish in your diet to gain the omega-3 that you need to decrease allergic reactions. This could include Atlantic mackerel, freshwater salmon, or Alaskan salmon.

Green Tea

When you’re craving a hot tea in the morning, choose green tea with a squeeze of lemon. Not only does this help with weight loss, but it contains antihistamines for fighting off allergies. It’s a great way to start the day.

Kefir

If you’re not currently getting probiotics in your diet, make sure to start enjoying kefir for your gut’s health and improvement of the body’s allergic response. This yogurt-based beverage can be found at the grocery or a health food store and works to improve the healthy bacteria in your gut to improve digestion and reduce allergies.

Collard Greens

Leafy greens in your daily salad are a great way to get your daily vegetable needs met, but make sure you make it with collard greens included. This leafy green is great for blocking histamines because it’s rich in carotenoids. You can sauté them in olive oil or include them in a green smoothie.

Pineapple

Do you love pineapple in the summertime or on top of your pizza? Choose it regularly to get the allergy-fighting benefits that come with it. This superfood contains an active ingredient called bromelain, which works to relive inflammation in the enzymes through its function of being an irritation suppressant.

Garlic

Who doesn’t love garlic? Did you know that garlic actually works to improve your immune system while you’re just enjoying this delicious addition to your lunch or dinner? Add garlic to your veggies, in a soup, or to your steak to create an amazing flavor and actually benefit your body simultaneously. Fresh garlic will decrease your body’s allergic reactions by strengthening your immune system.

Cauliflower

If you don’t already incorporate cauliflower into your diet, make sure to start doing so. Cauliflower is a great vegetable option whether you want a raw snack, a grilled entrée, or an alternative to your mashed potatoes.

Choose cauliflower more often to benefit from its allergy-fighting properties, which are to combat symptoms by blocking your immune system cells from releasing histamines through the quercetin. Without histamines causing your allergy symptoms, you’ll be breathing easier and enjoying other great health benefits from this excellent vegetable.

If you didn’t know it before, food can heal all kinds of things in your body. Allow it to heal your allergies too, so that you can heal the body from feeling the effects of allergies once and for all.

Epilepsy starts in the brain and often results in seizures without the presence of other conditions. Typically epilepsy affects both males and females equally. In 2013 in the United States, 1% of individuals under the age of 17 (750,000) and 1.8% of adults over the age of 18 (4.3 million) were diagnosed with epilepsy.

A recent survey revealed that more and more epileptic patients are seeking Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), with more than 20% receiving Chiropractic care.

In this case study, a 22 year old female started Chiropractic care suffering with daily headaches and seizures typically occurring every 3 days. The seizures lasted from minutes to an hour. Unfortunately, medication had not been able to reduce the frequency of her seizures.

A detailed Chiropractic examination revealed postural abnormalities, and also tenderness and reduced movement of the C1 vertebra. Thermal scans were also done to further determine cervical subluxations were present and Chiropractic care was needed.

After 14 visits, the patient no longer had daily headaches and the frequency of the seizures had reduced significantly. A ‘Quality of Life in Epilepsy’ questionnaire showed that before beginning Chiropractic care, she scored a low 29.27. After care, her self assessed rating rose to a high 80.18, signifying a 50 point improvement on the epileptic outcome measure.

This case study is one of several showing how Chiropractic care can reduce the intensity and frequency of seizures.

Progress Displayed in Autistic Behaviours after Chiropractic Care

The neurodevelopmental disorder labelled as autism is defined by the atypical social interaction and communication where the individual uses repetitive behaviours and mannerisms. In New Zealand, about one in every one hundred people is affected by this disorder. The cause of this disorder is unidentified but some hypothesize that the main factors that play a role in autism are environmental, biological and genetic. Individuals with autism suffer from impairments in social interactions, both verbal and non-verbal communication and exhibit repetitive or reserved behavioural patterns during activities and interests.

The first patient in this case study was a 20 year old autistic male who had a history of displaying aggressive and sometimes violent behaviour towards others. There had been several incidents where the individual would try to grab and bite someone on the head and neck area. These events would typically occur 2-7 times a week and was a result of him being denied something he wanted or when his normal routine would be disrupted.

The second patient was a non-verbal 17 year old autistic female. She was being taken care for by community health workers and she lived in a home with other autistic individuals. This patient displayed behaviours of self abuse and agitation. These behaviours included throwing tantrums, biting her hands and punching herself in the face to the point of bruising. She also had epilepsy which was well controlled through her medicine. Both patients were prescribed with chiropractic care once a week for a total of 5 and 4 months respectively.

After 4 visits of chiropractic care, the male patient displayed more willingness to be co-operative, an increased attention span and started to watch television. Subsequent to the fifth visit, he exhibited improvements in the ability to follow instructions without a delay. Throughout the span of the sixth to twentieth visit, he did not experience any aggressive or violent episodes and was now able to calm himself down when he became frustrated.

Following 3 visits, the female patient experienced improved sleep as well as a decrease in self-abuse behaviours. She had also become calmer and was now able to sit with the others during meals. At the fifth visit, all the bruises on her face were now gone and she had become more interactive and affectionate towards others.

Chiropractic care had a positive impact on both of the individuals in this case study who suffered from autism. Those who have autism and experience similar symptoms may also benefit from chiropractic care.